“Made in China” is embedded in almost all electronic devices, even in the majority of drones. Which makes it almost impossible to find a drone that is NOT manufactured in China. But it is possible, I did the research and here’s what I found.
The most popular hobby manufacturer in the USA is a company called Skydio. They manufactured the Skydio R1 drone which is currently priced at $1,999. According to PC Mag, the drone didn’t quite deliver on its promises, but they are launching a second version that only costs $1000.
However, that’s just a single drone company. It would be unfair to judge how well U.S companies can produce UAVs based on a single manufacturer. Let’s dive into some other American based drone manufacturers and see how they compare against Chinese drones.
Drone: | Drone Type: | Price: | Reviews: | |
Skydio | Hobby | Around $1000 | 3/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
Aguadrone | Fishing Drone | Around $1,100 | – | [SEE DRONES] |
Blade | Hobby | $50 to $90 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
Insitu Drones | Commercial | $800,000 | – | [SEE DRONES] |
Impossible Aerospace | Commercial | $7,500 | – | [SEE DRONES] |
Action Drone USA | Commercial | – | – | [SEE DRONES] |
Skydio is a company in the U.S that’s trying to break into the hobbyist drone space against competitors such as DJI. The company created the R1 drone which is now available to hobbyist drone pilots for around $1,999. However, being $500 costlier than the DJI Phantom, which is a well-respected drone, you would think that the drone would be perfect. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case.
The Skydio R1’s price was steep because of the built-in “autonomous following” feature which avoids obstacles while still recording you.
Unfortunately, according to PC MAG, a popular gaming website, the R1 simply didn’t deliver. The drone got a review of 2.5 stars out of 5 by PC Mag. And on top of that, they highly recommend the DJI over the Skydio.
But are they making a come back? Skydio has recently announced the Skydio 2 which is far cheaper at only $999. They boast the same features such as autonomous following with a few added features.
This drone is supposed to be 50% quieter which would be welcoming to a lot of drone pilots.
If you’re into fishing, then this will probably be your dream drone. It’s the world’s first waterproof drone that was designed for fishing. The drone pilot can do this by finding fish with built-in sonar technology, then by landing on the water to film or even catch fish. Once the fish takes the hook, the pilot of the drone would literally take off and pull the fish out of the water. Sounds crazy right? Welcome to the 21st century!
This drone is set to be released soon, so we don’t have the prices yet. However, some sources have mentioned that it could set you back around $1,100. Which based on the price of a DJI Phantom isn’t bad at all.
Blade drones is another U.S drone company that specializes in providing smaller cheap drones to the market. Some of the more popular drones they sell include;
To give you an idea of pricing, all these drones range from about $50 to $90. These drones are great for beginners to learn how to fly a drone before they move on to your more expensive drones such as the DJI drones.
This is a company that’s actually owned by Bowing. Insitu designs develop and manufacture drones for commercial use such as emergency services, defense, space, and security. So chances are you probably won’t be able to get your hands on any of their drones. It’ll be way out of your price range.
Just to give you an idea of how they are priced, their ScanEagle drone which is used by the U.S Marines cost the U.S government around $800,000.
This is a company that was founded by SpaceX and Tesla veterans that are based in Silicon Valley.
They recently announced that they will be selling a drone to emergency services across the united states. What makes them unique is that the entire drone built within the U.S and their drones battery is capable of keeping the drone flying for two hours. Which is extremely impressive against the DJI’s 20 to 30min flight time.
This drone will be sold for around $7,500, which isn’t bad for a commercial drone.
This U.S based company manufactures drones specifically for industrial use. Some of the more popular drones in their arsenal include the
That about covers most of the more popular drones that are manufactured in the US. As you can see, there aren’t many. Especially for hobby drones. The Chinese have become so efficient at manufacturing electronics that it’s near impossible for U.S companies to compete.
Drone: | Purpose: | Price: | Reviews: | |
DJI | Hobby | Around $1,500 | 5/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
Hubsan | Hobby | Under $100 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
Cheerson | Hobby | $15 to $400 | 3/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
Syma Toys | Hobby | $50 to $80 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
Autel Robotics | Hobby | $400 | 5/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
Yuneec | Commercial | $1000 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
Xiaomi Drone | Commercial | $400 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
Ehang | Person carrier | $200,000 | – | [SEE DRONES] |
Flypro | Commercial | $4000 | 4/5 | [SEE DRONES] |
If you don’t know who DJI is then you’ve either lived under a rock or you’re extremely new to the drone world. DJI is probably the the most successful drone company in the world. They are well know for the;
DJI has even managed to break into the commercial space by offering professional and enterprise-level drones and affordable costs. Some of these drones include;
Another popular drone manufacturer based in China, Hubsan is known for their smaller, and cheaper entry-level drones. Some of their best drones inlcude;
All of the above drones are only priced between $30 and $100 dollars which makes them great for beginners who are still trying to learn how to fly.
This company is known for their mini drones however they do have some bigger more expensive options. Some of their more popular drones include;
Their smaller drones range between $15 and $80 while some of the bigger drone will set you back around $400.
Starting out as a toy company, Syma Toys is another China-based company that has successfully broken into the drone industry. They also focus on providing smaller and less advanced cheaper drones to the broader beginner drone market. Some of their more popular drones include;
All of the above drones are only between $50 to $80 which are perfect for beginner training before you want to move on to your more advanced drones such as the DJI.
This drone manufacturer is actually U.S based, However, it’s owned by Autel Intelligent Technology which is a Chinese company.
They are specifically know for their EVO drone which costs around $500.
Based on my research, DJI which is based in China seems to make the best hobbyist drones by far. Not only are they great quality, but they are also extremely affordable compared to other drone manufacturers. Especially when comparing DJI to other hobbyist drone manufacturers in the United States such as the Skydio R1 drone.
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